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14 - Conclusion: Explaining the resilience of neo-liberalism and possible pathways out

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2014

By
Mark Thatcher  and
Vivien A. Schmidt
Edited by
Vivien A. Schmidt  and
Mark Thatcher
Vivien A. Schmidt
Affiliation:
Boston University
Mark Thatcher
Affiliation:
London School of Economics and Political Science
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Summary

This volume begins with a puzzle: Why has neo-liberalism proven so resilient in Europe, despite multiple internal difficulties and external challenges? Chapter 1 sets out a definition of ‘neo-liberalism’ and its ideational resilience. It notes that the term is broad and can be used in different ways and that resilience can vary. It specifies the resilience of neo-liberal ideas as characterized by their continuity, dominance, and survival. The first chapter offers five lines of investigation to explain such resilience in political and policy debates: (1) neo-liberalism's generality, diversity, and mutability enables it to adapt to and hence resist challenges; (2) neo-liberal ideas have predominated because they have remained at the level of rhetoric; (3) neo-liberal ideas have been stronger than competitors in policy debates and political discourse; (4) neo-liberalism remains dominant because of support by powerful interests who gain from it; and (5) institutionalization of neo-liberalism has given it a superior and protected position relative to possible alternatives.

This concluding chapter draws on the preceding chapters to pursue the five lines of analysis set out in the Chapter 1. We begin by following through the five lines of analysis, demonstrating how they relate to the empirical cases. Then we examine possible pathways out of the ideational dominance of neo-liberalism. Our aim is not to provide a simple mystery-writer ‘whodunit’ response to the initial puzzle – the chapters in the book have already shown the complexity of the answers – but rather to trace the diverse forms of the resilience of neo-liberalism and the factors responsible for it.

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Resilient Liberalism in Europe's Political Economy , pp. 403 - 431
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

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